Alien: Covenant (2017) – USA

Director Ridley Scott goes back to the basics and 40 years of Alien films experience to craft a horror thriller that fills the gap between The first Alien (1979) and Prometheus (2012) films both directed by himself. The effect is less deep in its philosophy than Prometheus and more straight forward Alien mutations and reproductions direct action scenes. I wouldn’t go on to say that this is a fan tribute as it feels like one of those horror “final destination” style movies where you expect then next character to be killed, only the question of how. The deaths do really get immensely visual and outright bloody to excellent effect.

The idea of robots becoming more human than human and outsmarting humans are prominent themes in Scott’s previous classics like Bladerunner. Michael Fassbender plays the aforementioned roles in the form of David and Walter. His stoic mysterious presence works to a certain degree. Katherine Waterston manages to impress as the heroine of the film and the calmness in face of adversity is shown in the finale fight scene with the alien nemesis outside the spacecraft.
All in all, Alien: Covenant is an entertaining popcorn affair and also showing that Ridley Scott at 80 is still very much on top of his game and this genre is like producing his own baby Alien. For a bridge of gap between the two better films, it is probably not necessary, but I am not complaining.